Shoe-lace fastener.



Patented Jan. 14, I902.

E. E. FRUTCHEY.

SHOE LACE FASTENEB.

(Application filed June 14. 1901A No Model.)

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EDWARD E. FRUTOHEY, OF TOIVANDA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SHOE LACE FASTENIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,128, dated January 14, 1902.

Application filed June 14, 1901.

T0 ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. FRUTOHEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at T0- wanda, in the county of Bradford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Lace Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in shoe-lace fasteners.

It has for its object to provide a fastener which will clasp and securely hold the ends of a shoe-lace, thereby avoiding the necessity of tyingthe same and at the same time allow the lace to be readily released, to construct the fastener so that the leather of the shoe will act as one of the opposing surfaces for frictionally clasping the lace by the springpressure of said leather interposed between the prongs and the tongue of the fastener, and also to provide a fastener which is neat in appearance, simple and inexpensive in construction, very efficient in use, and which will lie close to the article to which it is attached, and thereby prevent the liability of catching on anything.

My invention consists in the features and combination of features, as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a shoe-upper, showing the lace-fastener applied; Fig. 2, a side view of the fastener with the shoe-upper in section; Fig. 3, a top plan view of the fastener with the shoe-upper in section, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the fastener detached from the shoe.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denote like parts throughout the several views, A represents the lacefastener, made of a piece of resilient wire or other suitable material, formed into two bevelpointed attaching-prongs B, bent at O and turned outwardly to form offsets D, bent at E and turned inward laterally to form arms F, and finally bent at G and turned upwardly and formed into an inwardly-curved tongue H, the end I of which is turned slightly out- Serial No. 64.555. (No model.)

ward. It will be seen that the arms and prongs are directly connected by the offsets and that the tongue and arms are the only portions of the fastener which project above the outer surface of the shoe-upper.

Two of the fasteners are adapted to be applied to each shoe, one on either side near the top of the meeting edges of the upper, by passing the attachingprongs through suitable holes and inserting the pointed ends into the inner surface of the upper. This causes the upper to be clamped between the prongs and the arms and tongue on the outer surface of the upper, said tongue extending slightly inward betweenthe prongs.

By means of the offsets extending from the prongs the prongs and arms are disposed in different vertical planes and aspace is afforded for the insertion of the shoe-upper between the prongs and arms, and by means of the lateral arms between the offsets andthetongue the offsets are spaced some distance apart and any lateral movement of the fastener is prevented. By having the arms on the outside of the upper they act, in conjunction with the prongs on the inside of the upper, to clamp the upper between them and prevent the fastener from becoming disengaged.

The lace is inserted under the outwardlyturned end of the tongue and drawn down under the same, and the tongue, in connection with the upper and prongs, securely clamps and holds the lace; but it can be readily released by pulling the same upward.

Although I have described my invention as a shoe-lace fastener, it may be used with equal facility for fastening the laces of gloves, corsets, leggings, or other articles where a lace is employed, and the form, size, and details of construction may be varied somewhat without departing from the spirit of my in-- vention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A lace-fastener provided with a tongue, attaching-prongs, arms extending laterally from said tongue, and rearwardly-extending ofisets directly connecting said prongs and arms, substantially as described.

2. A lace-fastener adapted to be applied to the upper of a shoe and provided with prongs engaging and bearing against the inner surface of the upper, offsets extending In testimony whereof I affix my signature through holes in the upper, arms extending in presence of two witnesses.

laterally from the offsets said offsets directly 1 connectingthe prongs and arms, anda tongue EDWARD LRUTCHEY' 5 extending from the arms, said arms and \Vitnesses:

tongue bearing on the outer surface of the LAMAR D. HAY,

upper, substantially as described. F. H. OTT. 

